Pakistani television networks are spending Rs 35–40 crore (Rs 350-400 million) to buy Indian shows like ‘Bigg Boss’ and ‘Jodha Akbar’. They are contributing nearly a fourth of the total Rs 170–180 crore (Rs 1.7-1.8 billion) syndication revenue, which makes them the biggest buyers of Indian content, writes the Economic Times.
The advantage of Indian content in Pakistan is that it does not need to be translated, dubbed or subtitled, and can be telecast almost simultaneously. Besides reality shows, TV serials like ‘Jodha Akbar’ and ‘Saath Nibhaana Sathiya’ are popular on the other side of the border.
ARY Digital Network CEO Jerjees Seja told ET, “The thumb rule is almost everything that works in India works in Pakistan.”
There are exceptions like ‘Bigg Boss’, which is shown after a week because of logistical issues. However, Pakistani networks have a cap on foreign content.
The only factor they watch out for while picking Indian content is anything that might hurt national and religious sentiment, Seja said. This is the reason he did not buy ‘Code Red’ from Colors, he told ET.
About three years ago, when Urdu 1 launched and was issued a licence that allowed over 70 per cent foreign content, it changed the game, mentions the report.
However, for Indian broadcasters, the syndication pie has been growing. From Rs 60–70 crore (Rs 600-700 million) three years ago, the market is now Rs 170–180 crore and could be worth Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) soon, claims the report.
IndiaCast COO Gaurav Gandhi said, “Pakistani channels already license Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) plus of Indian content every year from India.”
The report adds that ARY Digital Network has been around for 15 years and is the leading channel in that country for the last five years. Seja spends anything from $25,000 to $2 million on buying Indian content. He gets the spike when he adds big award shows to his kitty.
While reality shows are aired on the main ARY Digital channel, the rest of the Indian content is aired on Zindagi, launched a year back.
Geo TV COO Asif Raza Mir also told ET that almost all Indian content is aired on the group’s general entertainment channel Geo Kahani. The main channel Geo Entertainment airs mostly Pakistani content.
“Indian content forms 15-20 per cent of Geo Kahani, while the rest is either local or from Turkey and Egypt. We are also exploring Japanese and Korean content lately. Since Indian soaps are mostly about the saas bahu theme, they offer less variety,” the report quoted Mir as saying.
Pakistani content is more realistic, while Indian serials are less so, though well mounted, he said. This is also because Indian producers use studios, while their Pakistani counterparts use locations.
Mir further mentioned that their content is more issue based rather than politics in the family, so they pick up subjects like ‘CID’, ‘Bhoot Aaya’. However, there are some love stories that stand out as well.
Like Seja, Mir also sources content from all the four leading Indian GECs including Zee TV, Colors, Sony, and Star Plus. He spends close to $2.5 million on his purchases, states the report.